Higher intakes of two B vitamins -- but not folate -- may help ward off depression among older people, particularly if they take supplements, according to a large population study.
The prospective study, which followed more than 3,000 people ages 65 and older, found that higher intakes of vitamins B-12 and B-6 were both associated with a slightly reduced risk of depression (P=0.01 and P=0.05, respectively) for up to 12 years of follow-up, reported Kimberly A. Skarupski, MD, of Rush University in Chicago, and colleagues.
"In the assessment and treatment of depressive symptoms in older adults, clinicians and other healthcare professionals should be mindful of the patient's nutritional status in general, and whether there are vitamin insufficiencies in these nutrients before treatment," they wrote in the August issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Recent data show that 6% of older people are deficient in vitamin B-12, and 20% may have marginal depletion, according to background information supplied by the authors. Vitamin B insufficiency among individuals over 65 can be caused by reduced absorption and by medical conditions.